The Uniting Vision of the Nation\'s Founders

Before Indonesia declared independence on August 17, 1945, the founding fathers devoted their ideas and thoughts to the form of the state as weltanschauung or the comprehensive view of the world.  Pancasila was finally used as a foundation to weave unity and bring Indonesia into existence.

At that time, even though the atmosphere was fierce, the battle of ideological discourse among figures of the nation was agonistic.  They argued in the context of competition among "opponents", not competition among "enemies". The spirit, mixed with intellectual strength, eventually resulted in consensus. One of the reasons was the extraordinary perspective and vision of the nation\'s founding fathers at that time who prioritized unity of the nation.

One silent witness of the event was the Volksraad Building or "People\'s Council," which after being renovated and inaugurated by Indonesia\'s second president Soeharto on August 19, 1975, was renamed the Pancasila Building. On Wednesday (29/3) afternoon there was no activity at the neoclassical-style building, which is now part of the Foreign Ministry complex.